Charlie Robinson

Born in Sikeston, Missouri, December 10, 1933 to Urah John and Ora Dell Robinson. I’m the last of six children. Both my parents played music. My Dad played square dances and my Mom was the church organist.
We moved from Missouri to Illinois in 1940, lived there for 3 years and then moved first to Taylorsville, California and then Placerville California in 1943.

I started messing around with the guitar when I was 5 years old. I took my first music lessons from a fellow by the name of Don Burnett who played piano, vibes and guitar.
I had my first job playing for a dance with the Frank & Dames Dance Band in Placerville.

In 1948, We moved to Porterville CA and I played in my first western swing band called Jelly Sanders Band which was a nine piece band. We played all over that part of the country. I’ve played with a lot of different people like the Maddox Brothers & Rose, Monte Hale (cowboy star). While there I met Jean Sheppard, who by the way, was my first girlfriend.

We moved to Chico in 1950 and my first job was with Bud Hobbs, who had a guitar player by the name of Johnny Arizona. Johnny later formed a band and I started playing in that band and was dubbed as “Bashful Charlie” until 1953 when I went to work for Moriss Taylor for a couple of years and then with Paul Westmoreland.

In 1959 I worked with Jim Reeves, Jim Edward, Maxine Brown, Freddie Hart, Lefty Frizzell and Ole Rasmussen. After leaving Chico in 1959 I went on the road playing mostly Rock & Roll until 1965 when I returned to Chico and formed my own band until 1980 when I joined Stew Stewart Band.

Also helped Moriss Taylor with his TV show. Have worked the fair circuit, cutting records, worked with P.R.C.A. Rodeo Association by performing for their annual main convention.

Now the ironic part of all of this is that I got started as a jazz and pop player, not that I’m a musical snob, because I really like all kinds of music. It is kinda odd that basically I’m known as a country player.